You may have noticed that that I affectionatey refer to Michelle as PIC. It stands for “partner in crime”, I’m not really even sure when it came about. Maybee when she started her blog? I don’t know. She calls me PIC too. It’s rather fun. Sometimes I call her Fordy-Ford, or Michelley-Elley.

Michelle and I met shortly before our first ever trip to USAT Age-Group Nationals in 2007. That was way back when I had only done two sprints and Michelle was still riding this red bike with like Shimano 105 on it (I don’t mean to offend anyone…well maybe I do a little bit).

Breakfast two days before Nationals in 07

We were roomies in this totally cheep extended stay hotel right next to Nike in Portland. We both had what I would call super solid races, but even bigger than that we began a friendship that both of us never realized would be so much fun.

I think this was probably the last time we got totally sloshed right after a race…we are much more dedicated now (we are the middle two).

We trained together occasionally, mostly on weekend bike rides. Michelle was a working girl with a demanding job, but she was focused and nailed her workouts.

We went through a Twinkie phase (identical, comes in a pack of two). Almost all the group pictures we were standing next to each other, and we had matching helmets, blue bikes (she got rid of the crummy red one…no offense) and ponytails. Check it out.

Twinkies we are

Scary huh?

We came back to nationals in Portland in 2008 ready to kick ass, and qualify for Team USA. We had Australia on our minds. For the first time we allowed another person into our nationals lair, Tyler.

PIC, Me, and Tyler

He proved to be an acceptable addition. It also meant that PIC and I shared a bed for the first time. And we learned that we sleep well together, who would have thought? Probably a fact that our husbands try not to think about too often…or maybe they do. I don’t know and this is going south…

So we both really rocked the house at Nationals, it was the same course as the year before and PIC knocked 16+ minutes off her time, and I took off a little over 6. PIC nabbed that Team USA slot, and I missed it by one, but got it back in the lotto.

Early morning pre race, we are together, there’s a shock!

Several months after Nationals, the best thing EVER happened to my athletic career (and let’s be honest, it’s all about me). PIC got laid off, SWEEET, full time training partner. I think this is when the term “PIC” came about. That year was about becoming super stud kick ass athletes and helping each other get there. We started on the bikes.

Mt.Evans in the back, we two man teamed it all over the place that spring.

We really learned a lot about each other. Usually we knew more about where each other was at than we knew about ourselves. I knew when she was blitzed, she knew when I needed to eat. We shared gels, we took turns on each others wheels, and we had so much fun.

We raced across the county, heck the world, together. We always found a way to get our PIC time even if we weren’t rooming together. We found a camaraderie that year that was sorta “the next level”. I think in the beginning we may have felt a little competitiveness against each other, but any and all of that dissipated throughout last year. When we became PIC’s things changed and we helped each other through the hard times, and the hard races, and we celebrated with each other through the good ones. It helped that we had numerous good performances through the year. At Kansas, we qualified for Clearwater together.

We went to Nationals for a 3rd year together, we added Beth and Tyler to the room, which meant again…PIC and I were sharing a bed. Which apparently meant great races for the both of us. PIC taking 5th in her AG, and me 14th, both earning TEAM USA spots if we so choose to take them. Seeing her on the podium made me feel like I was on the podium, I kid you not.

Red hair extension…it was for CHARITY!

We went to Worlds in Australia with our different families, but we found a way to hook up and train everyday together. Training in unfamiliar adds a whole different crazy factor to things, but when we were together we seemed to have so much more confidence. It didn’t matter that we were riding on the wrong side of the road, we handled it together and we laughed a lot. Meeting up with Michelle was like a having a piece of home with me.

In AUS, training, note that we now have matching TT bikes, and non matching helmets, since I crashed and broke mine.

I think having each other there at World Championships paid off, we went 19th for PIC, and 30th for me, in our age group, in the world. And you know, PIC slept over in my hotel room the night before, I’m thinking that’s why we raced so well.

And at the end of the season we found each other in Clearwater, out there on the race course, and ran together for part of the race. It was almost poetic.

Michelle and I have learned through the years the value of having a training partner. I don’t think either of us could have ever imagined just how tight we would become. Going forward this year we have switched coaching, and we have switched team affiliation. It was a process that we relied heavily on each other to get through. Lots of leaning on each other, and a fair amount of tears.

It wasn’t easy, but you live, you learn, and you try to move forward with an open heart. With Michelle, I’m not afraid to tell her the truth, and she knows I’m in her corner 100%. I’m so extatic that the recent changes in our athletic career have brought us even closer together. I couldn’t imagine racing in a uniform that is different from hers, so I’m pretty stoked that this year we will be Twinkies again.

Having the same coach will enable us to continue to train together and to help each other achieve our goals. We have been very upfront with our new coach (who likes upfrontness) and he has instructed us to tattle on each other to our heart’s content (when it pertains to training). He seems to “get” our relationship and has an idea on how to use it to make each of us stronger.

We feel like we are a little mini-team this year. Our sponsors are the same, we represent them together, and although we are training towards different goals (as we have most years) I have no doubt that this year will yield lots more fun and silly pictures.

Thank you PIC, Michelley-elley, Fordy-Ford for all of your support, for being my “honesty” meter, for not making things harder than they need to be, for traveling with me, planning with me, schooling me in swimbikerun, for not holding it against me when I school you in bikerun, for sharing recipes, and photos, and lessons learned.

Here’s to another year of fun, we’re gonna kick ass!

What epic things am I going to endeavor in during the year 2010?

2010 is a big year. Ten years in the 2000’s. What better than to make it extra special by running, biking and swimming all over the place.

My 2010 schedule is set, and I’m sure that you want in on some of the action. The year will be divided between epic adventures, and kick butt racing.

EPIC ADVENTURES:

~ Moab 100 miler, 3/27 – 3/28 (running)

~ Double Crossing of the Grand Canyon, Monday 4/19

~ Ride Across Colorado in 3 days, 470 miles, 7/16-7/18, taking the north route through Poudre Canyon/Steamboat.

~ Double Summit of Mt. Evans, bike up then run up, late August

~ Something in the summer in the Tahoe region. Not quite sure yet, but the Tahoe Rim Trail will be incorporated. Still scheming.

KICK BUTT RACING (the big races)

~ Rev3 Knoxville, 5/8, Olympic distance

~ Rev3 Middlebury CT, 6/5, 1/2 Iron distance

~ IM Coeur d’Alene, 6/27

~ A second Iron Distance Race, either the big island one, or this one.

~ USAT Age Group Nationals, 9/25

~ IM Arizona, 11/21

So, who’s in for some fun? Did my Grand Canyon video last year make you want to join me? My goal this year is to inspire others to do a little more than they thought was possible. To that aim, all my adventures will be well supported, well schwaged, and well planned. If you want to come along, contact me, ask questions, leave a comment, hunt me down…

“Triathletes”, “friends”, yes you.

You are planning your 2010 season aren’t you? I knew it! It’s what December is all about!

Well, if you haven’t looked into the Rev3 races, you just gotta. Next week I am going to have a discount code on registration, but I wanted to give you a heads up so that you make sure to take some time to cruise the Rev3 website. There are three races you need to know about and you can check out the details further with the links below.

The really cool thing about the Rev3 company is that all of their races have options. We like options, Olympic, half, full…we like options. What do we like better than options? We like happy families. That’s why when you race at Rev3 races, your family and friends get access into the race venues….which just happen to be amusement parks.

May 9: Rev3 Knoxville. The main event is the OlympicRev distance, but they also have a HalfRev. The finish is smack dab in the middle of World’s Fair Park. Don’t believe me, check it out.

June 5/6: Rev3 Quassy. I went to this last year, it ROCKED THE HOUSE. They have added an OlympicRev to the docket this year. Your family gets to ride roller coasters at Quassy Amusement park all day while you race your heart out. Win win.

September 12: Rev3 Cedar Point. This the the debut of the FullRev, oh yes folks it’s the real deal: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, marathon. There is a HalfRev as well. All the action is in the middle of World Famous and grandiose Cedar Point Amusement Park. My mom said she would totally go, but that she would ride the coasters all day. Thanks Mom, just be sure to drag me home after 11 hours or so.

The race experience at a Rev3 event is like no other. Race staff create a forum where the pros are approachable, the schwag is delicious, and cozy, everyone is treated like a world class athlete, and where your family is extremely well taken care of.

Give the site a looksey, you will likey.

DISCOUNT CODE COMING NEXT WEEK.

Oh, and you might want to sign up for the Rev3 mailing list. That way you will stay in the know.

Double Oh, and for all my TBL fan friends, look who is doing the entire series, including the FullRev? If she can do it, so can you!

Triple Oh, I am on team Trakkers, and team Trakkers has an affiliation with the Rev3 organization. I get entry into the races for free. Just trying to keep to the new full disclosure rules. I do however pay all my travel expenses, lodging, etc, unless one of you out these would like to help me with that. Any takers?

After some massive compassion from the Aspen Grove Apple store, I am back on the grid! You can call, text, and whatnot again. Thanks for all the supportive emails and texts! It’s meant a lot.

Also, I signed up for Ironman Arizona in Nov 2010, so I’m pretty excited about that one!

Lastly, team Trakkers has been sponsored next year by TriSwim, TriSlide and Foggle. More to come on this, but I’m so very excited!

This weekend is the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, FL. I qualified for this championship at the Kansas 70.3 where I scored a 2nd age group finish. I’m pretty excited to attend this race, but am also trying to keep my expectations low. I have been to some AMAZING races this year: Rev3 Quassy, Ironman Canada, ITU Oly Worlds. It’s hard to believe that Clearwater will be on this level. Many of the pros that were at Rev3 stated over and over again that they wished Rev3 was the World Championships, and that it should be. With that endorsement, I’m keeping my expectations in check.

This will be the last time in 2009 that I take apart and pack up my trusty steed. Scarlet is boxed and ready for her flight. She needs a tune up when I get there, she has a few little shifting issues. Other than that, she is ready to ride fast and hard.

My feet are excited to race too! They will be sporting a brand spanky new pair of Brooks Launch in neon greeeeen, which is odd, because with the Bio MoGo sole, they are green. Wait, are they green? They look kinda yellow? Maybe they are yellow? [Official color is: Mantis Green]

Green [or yellow] with envy? My feet were so excited to get these on, they just couldn’t stand still.

Happy feet for me!

Then I head on over to the fridge, trying to think about what I’m going to pack for my trip, and wow, look who’s all ready to go?

Apparently somebody thinks that we are going to Hawaii, no no, Mix1, it’s the “other” World Championships. But that’s okay, I think they allow hula skirt clad Mix1 bottles on the plane, no really, no need to repack.

I scored a major deal on some Nuun last weekend so I am planning on bringing a few tubes to clearwater to hide in various spots and then tweet where they are hidden. A sort of Nuun scavenger hunt. What do you think? Is this a good idea, could be pretty fun for me too!

So, that’s about it. I’m ready to go, even more ready to have fun, and most of all ready to kick some butt out there on the course. The race is Saturday, athlete trakker will be up and going on the Ironman website.

I got notice this week that First Endurance is teaming up with Trakkers as the first official sponsor of Team Trakkers, which I am a blissful member of. Team Trakkers is a pretty cool team because rather than being the being a group with the highest level of race results, we all excel in the “electronic” world. We are a team of bloggers, twitterers and facebookers, who happen to train their fannies off (and blog about it) in triathlon.

So, First Endurance must be pretty sure of it’s product. Because by sponsoring Team Trakkers that means that 30-40 blog-aficionados will be testing their products, using them like crazy, and then blogging and tweeting the honest to goodness truth about them. Bold move, First Endurance!

So, when I think “First Endurance” I think Michael Lovato. What really sticks in my mind is that a “shipment” would be delivered to his condo in Kona when he was there for World Championships. I thought that was an amazingly rock star triathlete thing to do…rather than packing your goods in your bag, to actually be cool enough that your sponsor would ship you a box of goodies right to your location. I know, I’m easily impressed.

I wanted to learn a bit about First Endurance before we got to select some free goods to test out. I started by joining Team First Endurance. This is a place for athletes to educate, research, and commune. They have a “facebook” like setup on the Team FE site. You can create a profile, add friends, and post blog posts about your experiences. It’s really quite cool and is so much more helpful than just a message board. Check out the profile I made:

Once my profile was made I started searching around. I found a great blog entry by none other than the Michael Lovato himself, outlining his Kona nutrition strategy.

I added myself to the Team Trakkers Group, and the Rev3 Group.

Then I clicked on Programs. This section REALLY impressed me. You can pick a program topic (Caffeine, Gluten, Sodium Loading, Anti-Inflammatory Foods, and Low Carbo Training). I picked Caffeine. They had an article summarizing and explaining the “Caffeine issue” including common misconceptions, and the history of it being a banned substance (in high levels by the US Olympic committe..now unbanned). There were recommendations on safe use, and a huge list of references. Then, the next link was “How to Implement a Caffeine Test” with great instructions on how to test it within your own body. Finally a link to their forum where the issue is discussed and a survey to take after you complete the test (along with the survey results). I was just really impressed.

Now I’m all giddy and excited to perform some of the tests, and to report my results.

My overall impression thus far is that they really take “individual” nutrition seriously, not only recognizing that each person is different, but providing a tool that athletes can use to educate themselves, and mingle with others to discuss issues.

Check out their site. And check out Team First Endurance.

So Trakkers is doing a beta test at the Denver Marathon this year. Have you been itching to test a unit and do you just happen do be racing the Denver 1/2 Marathon, or the Full?? Well, read below:

Denver Marathon Maniacs!,

Ok, you’re NOT maniacs – well, maybe you are – but in my book this is GOOD maniac. Some of you may be familiar with one of Super-Sonja’s sponsors: Trakkers. Basically, Trakkers is a GPS device for athletes. The athlete wears the device and friends/family can go online to follow them along, in training or racing, in real time. A google map pops up and a dot moves along the map in real time. VERY cool stuff, and the next step in technology for sports, really.

Trakkers is looking for some folks who would like to be involved in a beta-test at the Denver Marathon. We are in the final stages of product development and are looking for another test to iron out the final glitches before the device is available to the mainstream public.

What is in it for you? Aside from my eternal thanks, your friends and family will be able to follow you online (so they can be in another state and get to follow you!) during your race, and you get to use the device for free.

If you are interested, please send me an email: carole.sharpless@trakkersgps.com

Happy marathon!

Kindest Regards,
Carole Sharpless
VP of Operations

Also, I know some of you were pretty jealous when I attended the Rev3 race this year. You saw my Green Iguana Trakkers uniform and you WANTED ONE! I can’t blame you, the Trakers uniform is super comfy, plus Trakkers sponsorship grants you lots of goodies, training camp, and being a part of cool tri team. Do you think you’ve got what it takes to be on Team Trakkers 2010? Here’s the official application. It will download to your computer as a word doc.

I cross the finish line and immediately I have two finish line catchers on each side of me. They are the nicest people ever. Once I stopped crying, they introduced themselves and told me that they are going to be with me for the next 10 minutes. I say “Sweet”. They ask “How are you feeling”? I laugh and say “I feel really really good”. And seriously, it took 5 minutes for my brain to get the signals from my legs that they hurt. For 5 minutes I walked around like I just had breakfast, la tee da. Then my legs said “ahhh, yea, since you are done with this Iron-business, we are going to let you know just what you did to us”. And then the normal leg aches started.

My finish line catchers hooked me up with Anthony who was still in the finish pen. Again, big hugs like we hadn’t seen each other in years. Tony went 10:21 and endured a flat on the bike and a bonk on the run, both of which he completely recovered from and went on to have a great race.

My finish line catchers got me some food and I snarfed down some watermelon, honeydew, and chips. I also had some Gatorade and water. They were so nice to me. They finally realized that I was totally ok and so they dismissed themselves to go find some other finisher that needed them. I noticed that Tony had goose bumps and that made me a little nervous (cause he doesn’t have a lot of body fat left in him) so I flagged down a lady and asked for two space blankets (ahh, the mom in me).

Anthony and I

Once we were space blanketed up we headed out of the finish pen and met up with Troy and Michelle. Lots of good jobs, and pictures were taken.

Troy and I

My dad and I

My mom and I

L to R: Aunt Sandy, me, mom, Uncle Steve, Troy

We then headed back to our hotel to clean up and boy, the perma-smile wasn’t going anywhere. I was just thrilled with how much fun I had over the course of the day. Smiles abounded!

Anthony and I with our finishers hats on

As the day went on, we saw the finishes of Steve, Keith, and Andrea. It was great to see that everyone survived the day. Some met or didn’t meet their expectations, but those are their stories to tell, not mine.

Keith, Steve me, and Anthony

As the results trickled in Troy told me that I was 7th in my age group. I was pretty surprised to find that out. I knew that the previous year there were 4 Kona slots for my group. Steve told me I should definitely attend the roll down. I knew that no matter what happened at the roll down that I was proud of my day. Kona or no Kona, nothing could change that for me.

So, the next morning we went to the Kona roll down (right after I had to say goodbye to my parents). Sure enough they get to my age group and we find out there are only 3 slots, not 4 this year. One has been taken and they start calling names. 4th takes it, 5th doesn’t, then they call the 6th ladies name for the last slot and no one stands up. I say “Oh my gosh, I’m going to Kona”. They call her name a second time and she stands up all quiet like and walks up there. That was a little harsh. But hey. That’s how it goes! And it’s A-OK! Steve quickly looks at me and says smile and these are the shots he took.

I want to let you know that I am extremely blessed. I had a wonderful race that was made possible by so many people. I feel privileged that I could go out there on race day and represent all of you that support me with a strong performance. Troy, my families, and my coach have all worked so hard to provide me with the best resources, and the best training available. I feel relieved that I was able to put forth an effort that is indicative of all the support I receive.

So, what did I learn? I know, you want all the secrets! That’s why, despite several days of cliff-hanger posts, you are still reading. Right? Ok, here’s the deal-ee-oo.

- The Ironman is an amazing experience. You should do one. And if you are one of my lady friends who does tris and might be a little afraid, then you really should do one. I would love to help you.

- Extended Distance training is not for crazy people. If you are endeavoring to do an Ironman, and you want to stand on that starting line knowing that you can do the task at hand, then find a way to extended distance train.

- The workouts that stuck out in my mind as more difficult than the actual IM were: running to Boulder, running the Grand Canyon Double Crossing, biking 225, and biking 100 then running 18 self supported.

- Several things have to line up on race day: training, stress levels, equipment, and attitude. There are things that you can do during the year prepare on all these levels, but sometimes, some of them just get in the way anyways. All four came together for me, and that was why my performance on the actual day was great.

- Enjoy it! I can now say that it is possible to have a great race and keep a smile on your face the whole time. Sure, the smile may “look” like a grimace to some, but you know if you are smiling, and you should be enjoying yourself. Positive reinforcement.

- Unlike Olympic distance races and 70.3’s Ironman is an EVENT. It’s several days long and you should live it to the fullest. Attend the awards, attend the volunteer banquet and volunteer your time to say thank you, go to the clinics, stand in line at 6:30am after your race to get finishers merchandise, buy the finisher photo, get a massage. Involve yourself. In fact Troy and I volunteered to set up the bike lot on Friday before the race. Everyone was shocked that I was volunteering and racing, this was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my experience. Volunteer, even if you are racing.

- Don’t sweat it if you loose your goods. They have lots of goods on course. I think the fact that I did lots of my rides visiting 7-11’s for food was helpful. I learned to race on lots of different stuff and when I lost my bottles on the bike, I wasn’t really that worried.

- Make sure that the process is super fun. Make sure you are training so that if your race stinks you would still look back on the training with a positive mindset.

- Lastly, involve your family. After my Ironman, Troy signed up for a marathon. This makes me smile. Thank your family too, and in ways that aren’t just words.

Thank you Practical Coaching, Trakkers, Core Concepts, NUUN. You make my life awesome!

I enter into transition for the second time that day and someone immediately takes my bike. I blow my bike Scarlet a kiss as she heads back to her rack, most likely for a good nap. My bike did me well, as did her new wheels. I jog down to the bike to run bags, grab mine which is easy to find due to the obnoxious stars I colored all over it.

Back into the changing tent and this time I know exactly what I am up to. I change my shoes, grab my sunscreen and nutrition, strip off my shirt, throw on my new pink Trakkers hat that I saved just for the occasion, and off I go. There was only one other lady in the tent with me and for some reason I was excited about this. Kinda like getting out of the swim and seeing lots of bikes still on the racks. I knew that I was doing pretty good and that I was in the front several hours of the participants.

I took off running and right away I noticed and recognized the lady in front of me. How could I not, she beat the cookies out of me at Loveland Lake to Lake this year, taking the overall title, and doing it all in a swimsuit that said “Who Rocks?”… and on the butt “I Rock”. She wasn’t wearing that suit in the IM, but I still knew her. Oh wow. Wasn’t expecting to “know” people! Well there we go.

So out of transition I run and it’s that dicy moment. How are the legs? How do they feel? So much self inventory is going on. And you know what? They felt like I was just starting my race. Literally. my legs felt absolutely great. I realized that this could be good, or bad. Good if I kept myself under control and doled my energy out evenly. Bad if I decided to run 7:30 pace and ran out of steam at oh say mile 18 or 20 when everyone else seems to bonk. So, I kept it under control.

8:12, 8:02, 8:17 I was hitting these miles easy and I even passed “Who Rocks?I rock?” without an issue. Up in the distance I see a lady that was giving me a little trouble on the bike (for the last 20 miles I happened to find her on my wheel several times). I saw her in my sights and 7:52, 7:47 happened. Whoops, but I had to let her know that she wasn’t going to bike on my wheel and then run on my shoulder. A girl has her limits.

Then I settled in and just enjoyed myself. 8:10, 8:16, 8:18, 8:18, 8:22. I was running with a hand bottle, and “gasp” it was the first time I had tried it. I know, something new on race day, but it worked out well. The hand bottle had a pocket and I shoved as many NUUN tabs as I could fit in it. My routine at the aid station was to take the cap off my hand bottle and stick it in my sports bra, sponge my quads with the cold sponges, pour water and ice into my bottle, sponge my quads again, put a NUUN tab in, and screw the lid back on. I could do all this without slowing down one bit. The ice NUUN water in my bottle was great for several reasons. I could rub it on my legs or tummy to cool them down, I could drink the contents, or I could pour it on my head. Since the NUUN isn’t sticky I could squirt it on myself without ill effect. Worked like a charm.

I arrived at the hilly part of the course. The hills are pretty steep and lots of people were walking up them. I saw Anthony going the other direction and he yelled at me to “Go get em”. I was pretty focused so I gave a wave and kept my nose to the grindstone. I was so happy to see him doing well!

I then had the worst part of my day. I saw Steve. He was walking. I was instantly saddened. The one thing I didn’t want to do during the day of the Ironman was pass my coach and best training partner. It made me horribly sad. I could tell that all was not well and I had barely any time to react before I was right next to him. All I could muster was “Hey Baby”. Not quite sure why in the heck that phrase came out and I’m a little embarrassed about it now, but I just hated seeing that he was struggling.

On I went 9:15, 8:19, 8:32 over the hills and to the turn around. They had my special needs bag waiting for me and I grabbed it and never stopped running. I knew exactly what I wanted from it. RICE CRISPY TREATS!!! I tucked one in each side of my sports bra. I grabbed my huge can of Pringles, took out a huge stack and tossed everything else. As I ran up and over the hills I ate Pringles, they were SOOO tasty. Half of them would fall out of my mouth but it felt great to crunch crunch crunch along. When the hills got really tough I tossed the remainder of my stack and apparently Steve got a huge kick out of that when he ran by after me.

Now, the rice crispy treats. Those were just great. The crunch, the sugar, oh, they really hit the spot. I ate two of them and saved one for later. Did you know they are 90 calories, just like a gel! I continued to pass people all through this section. Even though I ran 9:05, 8:55, 9:15 most people were walking or were pretty slow through here. There weren’t many spectators, just a few in boats on the lake.

Can you believe I am actually trying to smile here. Really, I am. I “think” that I’m smiling…but it seems to show differently on film….er digital??

Passing people here was pretty neat. I knew that I was fine but I also started getting a little nervous. I had done the math and I realized that I had the chance to break 11 hours. I was really attached to that number for some reason. The mantra that popped in my head, as totally strange as it sounds was “Don’t compromise the 11 hour mark”. I repeated it to myself over and over. 8:33, 9:03, 9:12, 9:13. Now these splits look like they are slowing down, like I’m bonking or something but in actuality I was flying by person after person. I was reeling them in. I was in the midst of a total running high and I every time I saw my mile split I knew that I was going to break 11 and my thoughts were “You are doing it”, and “Just keep your pace right here”.

I had passed women here and there, but hadn’t passed anyone in my age group in a long time. As I neared the next aid station I saw a lady in my age group and she was walking. I really felt for her, because she was racing so well, and she was so close. I passed her and as soon as she saw my calf…and I’m thinking the “30″ part, not the “For Amy” part, she took off like a bat outa’ hell. For a second I thought “Should I race her”? Then into my head came “Don’t compromise the 11 hour mark”. So, I let her go. I also thought to myself, if she holds this, then the girl deserves it, cause that’s quite the come back. I let it go. 9:11, 8:59, 9:19.

Oh my, there she is again, walking. Man, too bad for her. I passed her again, at my pace, and she didn’t take off that time. I know she must have had a Kona slot on her mind. She still finished very strong, about a minute behind me. So, now I’m at mile 24 or so and really, I feel great. I’m hydrating, eating, and pretty much having a gay old time. We are back into town and I decide that the 11 hour mark is gonna happen. Nothing I can do will kill it now, so let’s pick it up. 8:55.

I see my mom, she’s cheering up a storm with my aunt Sandy. She tried to run next to me, I tell her to stop. She asks if I’m feeling good, I tell her I’m feeling great!! 8:23.

It’s the final mile and now I know, oh wow, I’m really going to do this. I see my dad taking pics, I hear Troy cheering from the balcony of our apartment. I make the turn and I can see the stands. 8:26.

I run into the stands and I’m overwhelmed with joy. I have my arms in the air and I’m crying crying crying. I can’t believe it. I had an absolutely perfect first Ironman. My training paid off. My day is almost over. I am an Ironman.

I cross the line like I’ve just won the race. I’m overjoyed and just can’t believe how well it all went. The stars had aligned. 10:47:58, 7th in F30-34, 35th woman, 20th amateur woman.

I also want to share with you the after party, the Kona Roll down experience and my post race ahh-hah’s. Next post!

I’m on my bike, I’m clipped in, and I’m off. I see my mom looking desperately into the crowd as I ride right past her. I shout “Hi Helen”, so that she won’t stand there all day thinking I’m a really slow swimmer. She was shocked. As was Troy, but he saw me and gave a typical booming Troy cheer. Troy said later that I was only 4 minutes after the boys (Steve and Anthony) out of the swim, but I made two of that up in transition (Heh Heh Heh) and they didn’t expect me so close to the boys.

So we head out of town, out of all the cheering and suddenly its just you and hundreds of your favorite triathlete friends. There were tons of people on the course with me, sometimes it was three across. But I knew that 1:10 was a very common swim time so this was to be expected. For some reason I could not wipe the stupid grin off my face. I felt like Bree Wee, she’s always smiling up a storm when she races.

Every volunteer and spectator that I passed, I smiled…no GRINNED, like a big stupid silly grin. I was having so much fun, just happy as a clam.

There was a hill pretty early in the course and while I was going up it, trying my darnedest to expend zero energy while doing so I glanced uphill to see hundreds of competitors on the hill with me. I wish I had a photo of that one. It was insane. And here I am grinning my way up the hill while people are grunting.

After a fun descent where I tried not to hit my breaks but still got passed by guys in full tuck we were onto a long flat section of the course. In past years there was a head wind on this section, but this year it was a tail wind. It was easy to sit around 21 mph through here. I was a little nervous about this, I didn’t want to be pushing too hard but knew that sometimes it’s easy to do that at the beginning of a race. TriBoomers words of advise kept popping in my head “The race starts 80 miles into the bike”. So I decided that I would chillax until then. Medium effort. My goal was to keep my smile and to keep my sense of humor.

One lady and I were going back and forth every once in awhile and she asked me “Who is Amy?” because I had written “For Amy” on my calf. I told her about Amy and her cancer and her baby and the lady said “Thank you for sharing her story”. That also really reminded me to be grateful for the fact that I was out there. My grin just got bigger…for Amy. Someday Amy will be out there too, and when Amy races an IM, I will too! Hands down!

So about mile 30 I sucked down the last of my 400 cal bottle of Perpetuem and it was time to refill. I had a spare baggy of powder in my race belt pouch. I pulled my bottle out of the cage, hooked it onto my aerobars and refilled the Perpetuem. It took about 10 minutes to get it all done while keeping my pace. I put the bottle back in my cage and was so proud of myself. Success!! About 3 minutes later I decided I needed a drink. I took out my bottle and BOOM, I DROPPED it. The guy behind me ran over it. I yelled sorry and gave him my best pouty cute girl look. Shoot dang, nutrition gone. So, I went to Gatoraid, what they were providing on course and figured that I could get one more pack of Perperuem at my special needs bag at mile 70.

At 50 miles in we start climbing. Richter pass is pretty awesome, not to hard, lots of cheering fans, and pretty darn fun. The perma-smile was still fixed to my face so I got a lot of “Nice Smile” and “She’s having fun”. Loved it! I also passed Keith here. He is a super fast swimmer and was wondering when I would get him on the bike. I pulled up next to him, we talked for 10 seconds and then I was off with a smile.

After the pass there is a series of rollers that are pretty big. About half way through them I was out of NUUN in my rear bottle so I decided to refill it while climbing one of the rollers. I pulled out my last bottle and jammed it into my aerobars, removed the lid, dropped in some NUUN and put the cap back on. I did this all while climbing, and passing quite a few people. I’m just about to put the bottle back in my bottle cage when I hear “Sonja, Don’t you think there is a better time to do that”?. I jump because I thought the dude knew me and BOOM, I drop my second water bottle. Dang! Because we have to wear our bib number on the bike, and our names are on them, this guy was calling me out by name. It flustered me, and I lost my last bottle. I was now going to be completely dependent upon what I could get at the aid stations (narrow mouthed bottles that you can’t fill with your own stuff).

Still, bigger smiles. Entering into the dog leg and out and back sections was really fun. I saw Amanda Lovato looking awesome as ever and noticed that Steve and Anthony were about 2 minutes apart from each other and I was about 8 minutes behind them. I rolled into the special needs bags and this wonderful volunteer had my bag open and ready for me. I stopped, grabbed what I needed and got rolling again, loosing about 10 seconds. It was AWESOME. I gave her some big smiles too! Here’s Anthony climbing…and for some reason not smiling as much as me (he just changed his flat).

We went up a hill shortly after and I dropped my chain. What? Since when do I ever drop my chain? As I was putting it back on a guy that I had been riding near yells “Sonja, that’s what you get for taking off on me”. I laughed and then I got back on my bike, looked down, saw that we were at 80 miles and decided it was time to throw down. From here on out I went hard and I passed and passed and passed people. On the final pass my parents, Troy and my aunt and uncle Steve and Sandy were all there cheering like crazy for me. I was so high from passing people that my perma-grin had obtained an obnoxious level. I was eating it up. I noticed that my average had dropped to 19 mph with all the climbing and so I spent the final descent trying to be as un-chicken as possible to boost my average up as much as I could. I rolled into town with 19.3 on my average, very happy with that, knowing I was well under 6 hours for the bike. My final bike time was 5:45:18.

I love this picture of one of the guys out there. Dad took it.

The Ironman Canada bike course is pretty phenomenal. It’s one of the only Ironmans with a one loop bike and the scenery was amazing, not that I had much time to look at it. But the FANS! They were amazing and very fun and silly. My legs felt phenomenal on the bike, they had truly delivered for me. But in my training I’ve noticed that everything can change when you get running on them. So, how would they feel on the run???…